Tastes

Nose - grape must, floral notes, plum, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, apple, vanilla, orange zest, lemon, milk chocolate, mild ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange, lemon, salted caramel, plum, vanilla, floral notes, ginger, chili pepper, chocolate, sour apple, light oak, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with tart grape, caramel, sour citrus, and bitter oak flavors. My final set of Armagnac reviews will be a grouping of five Chateau de Laubade vintages, starting with the youngest from 2000 until I reach the oldest from 1979. I believe these were all bottled in 2019, but I’m not positive about that. Assuming that’s correct, this one is around 19 years old. The nose is fresh and citrusy with grape, apple, toffee, and a healthy dose of nutmeg and milk chocolate. The palate is light, sour, and slightly bitter. There are some good flavors, but they’re unfortunately not fully developed. Overall this is above average, but it tastes rather young and significantly underproofed. The mouthfeel is watery and the finish is shorter than most Armagnacs I’ve tasted. I’m guessing that the experience will improve over subsequent reviews as their ages increase. The low 40% ABV may hold them all back from greatness, but we’ll find out soon enough. A big thank you to @ContemplativeFox for generously providing these samples!

Nose - grape must, apple, lemon oil, caramel, vanilla, dry oak, cinnamon, pine, anise, grapefruit zest, nutmeg, hazelnut, cocoa, black pepper, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, spiced apple, tart grape, lemon meringue, grapefruit oil, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, dark chocolate, anise, hazelnut, ginger, chili pepper, tannic oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with musty grape, citrus oil, caramel, and tannic oak flavors. This is the oldest spirit I’ve tasted, and I doubt I’ll try many older than this in the future. It was distilled the same year Pink Floyd released “The Wall,” and that’s pretty cool. Forty years is a long time to sit in a French wine cellar. I shudder to think what forty years aging in Kentucky or Texas would yield, but time has been gentle on this one. The nose is deeply aromatic with citrus oils, drying oak, and powdered nuts and cocoa. The palate is sour, but not in a bright, youthful way. It’s a good sour, followed up with baking spices, anise, nuts, and more tannic oak. The finish is particularly nice, lingering pleasantly without any off flavors on the tail end. Overall this is very nice Armagnac, but it doesn’t totally wow me. I enjoy the deep, oily citrus notes and the nutty, tannic woodiness that can only emerge with a long time in the barrel. And it’s great being able to taste something this old without taking out a second mortgage on my home.

Nose - grape must, butterscotch, vanilla, black cherry, plum, apricot, orange zest, fig, cinnamon, nutmeg, strong oak, black pepper, chocolate covered raisins, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, black cherry, plum, raisin, dark chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon, butterscotch, vanilla, bitter walnut, ginger, black pepper, orange, lemon, tannic oak, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with dark fruits, chocolate, and musty, tannic oak flavors. So how have an extra five years in the barrel impacted this when compared to the 25 Year I reviewed yesterday? The obvious difference is that this is much darker, more brooding on the nose and palate. The bright citrus and fruitiness of its younger counterpart are nowhere to be found. In their stead, dark dried fruits, semisweet chocolate, and strong oak dominate. I’m getting a strong aroma of Raisinettes as well. The palate is similarly less bright and sweet with dank, musty fruit and wood replacing the other’s youthfulness. I like this more than the 25 Year. It’s certainly more my speed with its darker, less sour profile. This doesn’t quite match the quality of the single cask, barrel proof L’Encantada offerings I reviewed, but it’s not significantly worse either. With a slightly higher proof, I could see it almost equaling those for me. A big thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample!

Nose - grape must, butterscotch, vanilla, orange zest, date, fig, coffee, cocoa, cherry, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet oak, floral notes, pine, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, orange zest, lemon, caramel, vanilla, plum, allspice, clove, sour apple, bitter oak, fig, walnut, cola, cherry, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with tart grape, bright citrus, and sour apple flavors. Shifting gears to a few Delord expressions, and the classic 25 Year is first up. The nose is tart and fruity. It’s not as beautiful as those L’Encantada single casks, but it’s reasonably aromatic. The palate carries the same fruitiness, but unfortunately this crosses into sour, bitter territory. It drinks very young for a 25 year old spirit, probably partly due to the low proof. Overall, this is good, but it’s nothing special. Nonetheless at around $75 a bottle, it’s a solid entry into high quality Armagnac. I think you make significant sacrifices in the palatability department when you go younger and cheaper with Armagnacs, so the 25 Year makes for a good middle ground. This isn’t as good as the L’Encantada XO Lot 3, but it’s close enough to be in the same rating band for me.

Nose - grape must, black cherry, chocolate malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, vanilla, orange, sweet oak, spearmint, powdered sugar, date, fig, toasted marshmallow, raisin toast, walnut, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, orange zest, lemon, chili pepper, ginger, salted caramel, dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, graham cracker, nutmeg, apple skin, tannic oak, plum, apricot, bitter walnut, fig, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with musty grape, dark chocolate, deep citrus, and spicy, tannic oak flavors. This is the final L’Encantada I have, and I think it’s the best of the bunch. The profile is much darker every other Armagnac I’ve tasted. The color is similarly very dark, and at 30 years old it’s a far deeper shade of brown than the 31 year old Domaine Del Cassou I reviewed yesterday. The nose is beautiful. Dark fruits, malty chocolate, rich citrus, and strong oak abound. The aromas are particularly whiskey-like in a very good way. The palate has the telltale Armagnac tartness, but it’s deliciously balanced by dark chocolates, salted caramel, and dark, tannic oak. This is exceptional Armagnac. A purist may find it to be too dark and possibly overoaked, but as a whiskey lover, I’m really enjoying the profile. Although I admit, I’m a sucker for oaky, rich, robust spirits, and this is exactly that. I didn’t think an Armagnac would break into my hall of fame, but I’m giving this a rare 4.5 with no hesitation.

Nose - grape must, green apple, butterscotch, brown sugar, honey, peach, white pepper, grass, apricot, chocolate malt, clay, vanilla, orange blossom, coffee, cinnamon, lemon, dry oak, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - tart grape, butterscotch, orange zest, lemon, apricot, fig, peach, allspice, cinnamon, salted chocolate, grapefruit, grass, vanilla, sour apple, sweet oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with musty grape, butterscotch, and fruity citrus flavors. After tasting the L’Encantada XO last night, I was inspired to review some more Armagnacs I have access to via bottles and samples. I grabbed this 31 Year 1988 Domaine Del Cassou last year after reading some positive reviews on L’Encantada as an independent bottler of Armagnac. I appreciate them in particular, because most of their bottlings are single cask, barrel proof, unfiltered, and uncolored. Or in other words, the way I like it. The nose is fruity, tart, rich, and fragrant. Sure, the grape notes are strong here, but peach, fig, fresh citrus, and honey are in the mix, accompanied nicely by malty chocolate and coffee aromas. Although the palate pales in comparison to the nose, it’s actually really nice. The citrus and fruits are front and center, but there’s a nice creamy, oaky backbone that effectively balances those high notes. In my experience, Armagnacs present as very sour until they are really, really old. This one is tart, but it avoids the unpleasant sourness that I was expecting to find. Overall, this is great Armagnac. If it were richer, thicker, and slightly less bright, this would be outstanding. And as a side note, I love that we can still buy 30+ year old Armagnacs for around $200 or less in some cases. I’m thinking that won’t last too much longer.

Nose - grape must, butterscotch, coffee, toffee, dulce de leche, vanilla, pineapple skin, white pepper, clay, herbal notes, strawberry jelly, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice, sweet oak, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - grape skin, sour apple, lemon zest, ginger, chili pepper, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, allspice, clove, tannic oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with citrusy grape, caramel, and spicy chocolate flavors. The final of my blind tastings, and due to a logistical mishap on my end, this one isn’t so blind. But while I know it’s L’Encantada XO Lot 3, I have so little experience reviewing Armagnacs, it might as well be blind. So the grape is unmistakable on the nose, but it’s beautifully accompanied by sweet coffee and dulce de leche aromas. There are some interesting pineapple skin, fruity pepper, and earthy herbal notes as well. The palate is deeply citrusy and not quite as intoxicating as the nose, but this is usually the case with Armagnacs in my experience. Other than that, many of the same qualities transfer to the taste. Overall, this is very good Armagnac, but it veers slightly too far into bright, sour, and bitter territory on the palate for me to rate it as great Armagnac. I want to say a huge thank you to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for providing these nine blind samples for my tasting pleasure! It’s been a great experience. I think I’ll continue down the Armagnac path for the next few reviews.